NY lawmakers want public input on fracking review

By The Associated Press

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - A coalition of 65 state lawmakers is asking Gov. Andrew Cuomo to release the Department of Environmental Conservation's review of potential health impacts of shale gas drilling for public comment before deciding whether to allow drilling to begin.

The group headed by Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton sent a letter to Cuomo on Tuesday. They said the Health Department's evaluation of DEC's "health impact analysis" should be transparent, but the public hasn't been given any information about it. It's expected to be complete within a few weeks.

At a budget hearing Monday, DEC Commissioner Joe Martens told lawmakers there was no separate health study. He said the entire environmental impact study of shale gas drilling stood as a health impact study because it identifies potential adverse health impacts and measures to prevent them.